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Brigham Young was America's greatest colonizer. In July 1847, he entered the Salt Lake Valley with a group of early pioneer settlers to cause an alkali desert to "blossom as a rose." They diverted mountain streams into irrigation canals and watered the land. They brought immigrants with building and other skills from "the four quarters of the earth" to build Zion. Jim Bridger had assured them that they wouldn't be able to grow crops in this inhospitable territory, but they planted and they built and they laid out a city unlike any other.
The city layout was based on Joseph Smith's ideas about city planning. A notable characteristic of this plan was a grid pattern layout with square blocks oriented to the cardinal directions, wide streets (132 feet), alternating half-acre lots so that houses face alternate streets on each block, homes set back 25 feet from the street, frontyard landscaping, gardens in the backyard, farms located outside of town, and the designation of central blocks for temples, schools, and other public buildings.
When President Young issued instructions for establishing Salt Lake City, he established blocks with eight lots, 1.25 acres in size. As in Joseph Smith's plan, all streets were 132 feet wide and the houses on each block faced alternate streets, with each set 20 feet back from the sidewalk. The lots however, were much larger so that each could function as a minifarm with animals, barns, and gardens.
Within a few short years, "Brother Brigham" had achieved outstanding success. In 1851, Utah was organized as a territory, and he was appointed as its territorial governor. In the early years, Brigham Young directed political decision-making, economic development, cultural affairs, law enforcement and education. To strengthen the church, he constantly encouraged emigration, offering to finance wagon trains and hand cart companies by means of the Perpetual Immigration Fund. During the establishment of the Salt Lake Valley, Brigham also established settlements throughout Utah and in the neighboring territories of Arizona, Nevada and Idaho. Finally, he worked to strengthen the church by making its people economically self-sufficient. He encouraged the local manufacture of goods and discouraged enterprises that might require outside investors.
Today, Salt Lake City is still characterized by industrious people, a beautiful central city, wide streets, and large blocks laid out in a familiar grid pattern that makes for a wonderfully organized city.
The city layout was based on Joseph Smith's ideas about city planning. A notable characteristic of this plan was a grid pattern layout with square blocks oriented to the cardinal directions, wide streets (132 feet), alternating half-acre lots so that houses face alternate streets on each block, homes set back 25 feet from the street, frontyard landscaping, gardens in the backyard, farms located outside of town, and the designation of central blocks for temples, schools, and other public buildings.
When President Young issued instructions for establishing Salt Lake City, he established blocks with eight lots, 1.25 acres in size. As in Joseph Smith's plan, all streets were 132 feet wide and the houses on each block faced alternate streets, with each set 20 feet back from the sidewalk. The lots however, were much larger so that each could function as a minifarm with animals, barns, and gardens.
Within a few short years, "Brother Brigham" had achieved outstanding success. In 1851, Utah was organized as a territory, and he was appointed as its territorial governor. In the early years, Brigham Young directed political decision-making, economic development, cultural affairs, law enforcement and education. To strengthen the church, he constantly encouraged emigration, offering to finance wagon trains and hand cart companies by means of the Perpetual Immigration Fund. During the establishment of the Salt Lake Valley, Brigham also established settlements throughout Utah and in the neighboring territories of Arizona, Nevada and Idaho. Finally, he worked to strengthen the church by making its people economically self-sufficient. He encouraged the local manufacture of goods and discouraged enterprises that might require outside investors.
Today, Salt Lake City is still characterized by industrious people, a beautiful central city, wide streets, and large blocks laid out in a familiar grid pattern that makes for a wonderfully organized city.
UtahReach! 2010